


She's Not Edelgard, She's El

by Aris_Megalos



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-08-13 08:44:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20171440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aris_Megalos/pseuds/Aris_Megalos
Summary: Pre-time skip! Byleth meets Emperor Edelgard from the future.





	She's Not Edelgard, She's El

“...Byleth—I-I mean, Professor,” The white-haired woman calls to the teal-haired woman who is hiding her face in her hands, “I’m... so sorry for causing a scene.” The two are in Byleth's room with Edelgard standing the cabinets by the window, carefully leaning on the edge so the stacks of books do not topple over, and Byleth in her chair facing her tidy desk.

The said teacher did not lift her face from her hands because the mortification from the incident twenty minutes ago still lingers. The vivid memory of the dumbfounded reactions of Edelgard and her fellow housemates.

Her head slams onto the desk. She never wanted to dig a hole, crawl into it, and stay there more than this very moment. 

* * *

Class is finally over and the students clear out of the classroom, leaving Byleth by herself. Today went well because everyone showed great improvement in their choice of weapon especially Petra with the bow, Caspar with the gauntlets, Dorothea with offensive magic, and Edelgard with the axe.

Speaking of Edelgard, she notices the house leader who is outside in the patio, chatting with her fellow housemates. She and the future emperor grew closer in the past few weeks after on a pure coincidence when Edelgard was having terrible nightmares from her childhood and she happened to pass by. Being one of the rare few whom Edelgard chose to confide in brings a sense of pride within the teacher. 

Regardless, the older woman cleans her board and desk and as she began to gather her things to leave, a small meow catches her attention. Her eyes move down to meet lime green eyes of a beautiful white cat. Byleth blinks. 

_Why isn't this a surprise? Even a__ furry creature wants your attention. _Byleth ignores Sothis's comment, bending down to pet the cat. It responds by biting her index finger and almost instinctively, she jerks her hand back. It didn't hurt. But was she not suppose to pet the cat?

Yet, the cat calls out to her, moving onto its hind paws and tugging her leggings with its claws. Surely, this means that the cat wants some petting. Her hand reaches over to the head. This time, there wasn't any biting so her hand meets soft fur. With gentle rubs, the cat meows almost happily as if it is enjoying what she is doing. She smiles. 

_You hardly smile for your entire life and all it takes is a cat? Who knew you were that easy to please?_

"My students taught me to enjoy simple pleasures that I never had as a mercenary. So far, it has been an delightful experience." Byleth replies, now sitting on the floor crosslegged and giving back scratches. Then, the cat bites her finger once more but Byleth didn't move away and the cat tugs on it as if urging her to get on her feet. So, she did and while slouched over very uncomfortably, she lets the cat lead her outside.

The cat lets go, allowing Byleth to stand up properly, before jumping into her arms. She easily caught the animal and to her amusement, it rubbed its face against her neck. If cats were all this affectionate, maybe she should consider owning one herself. 

Sadly, the ex-mercenary could not indulge in her pet owner future because of a cry from a distance. Byleth looks in the direction to see a person wearing red armor running in her direction and quickly puts aside the cat to draw out a steel sword. How could an enemy sneak into the academy without any guard noticing, especially with bright colored armor? She notes to herself to question the guards. 

Her alertness slowly melts into confusion when the figure grew more visible. Her eyes must be seeing things. They must be. However, she could not deny the familiarity of those lilac eyes despite the unknown horn-like crown and bright red armor. 

"Byleth!" The figure approaches her and Byleth could not utter a word, "This is where you were. I grew worried when Hubert informed me that you went missing since this morning. Please inform someone before you leave. I don't think I have the heart to go through the lonely times once more." 

_Oh my. __This is certainly a plot twist_.

"E-Edelgard?" How is this possible? Edelgard is still the future emperor from her knowledge but this woman standing before her does not look like the same girl whom she saw ten minutes ago. She seems more expressive with her emotions as a frown creeps onto her face.

"Edelgard? Not 'El'?" She sounds upset by the fact. "You rarely call me by my name. Has something happened?" Her armored hands reach for hers and her lilac eyes meet her own. Byleth is caught off guard by Edelgard's concern for her. It is rather sweet but at the same time, nothing about this moment is making sense. When did she ever call her 'El'? She had always called her by her name.

Byleth feels her head ache and sighs heavily, hoping for this to be some sort of dream. She opens her mouth to respond when her eyes caught a familiar accessory on Edelgard's finger. Her father's ring. The one he showed to her when they visited her mother's grave. "How did you get this ring?" 

_Edelgard_ appeared confused, "My teacher, you gave me this ring when you proposed a year ago. We've been married for a year now."

Byleth felt her soul escape her body. She got married to Edelgard.

She married her student.

Married to a student.

Oh goddess, kill her.

_That would kill me too, so no. _

"...p-professor, what is the meaning of this?" The teal-haired woman did not want to turn her head, but she did anyway. Her students. They looked absolutely dumbstruck especially Edelgard, who could not take her eyes away from her and the other Edelgard.

She needed to leave this place. Now. Byleth turns to _Edelgard_ who notices the group of students and also shares a similar shocked expression. She grabs one of armored hands and hissed, "We need to talk. My room." Without hearing an answer, the ex-mercenary runs off with _Edelgard_ in tow. 

* * *

"Professor?" Byleth finally looks over to the culprit of her current situation. Edelgard, as she learned after dragging the woman to her room and questioning her, is from six years into the future where she is the Emperor of the Empire and is married to her. Well, her future self. 

What exactly is she suppose to do now? Surely, Edelgard's presence had already spread amongst the academy and students might become wary of her because she, a professor, got married to her student. There is no doubt that her professionalism is already being questioned. How will she face the students, faculty, and her father? How will she even see Edelgard after this? Hubert will definitely make sure that she never does or even lives. 

A hand touches her shoulder, jolting her out of her busy mind. Worried lilac eyes stare into hers. "I'm sorry for being so forward, but you should not overthink so much on an empty stomach, By—professor." Byleth opens her mouth to protest but her stomach lets out a growl. Oh, that's how she knew. 

She clears her throat, returning the gaze, "Of course, an early dinner is probably best." Especially since not many students will be there during this time. Standing from her chair and proceeding to leave, Byleth notices how Edelgard did not move from her spot behind her chair. "Edelgard? What are you doing?"

"I think it would be best if I do not go back outside." Edelgard explains, moving her hands to the back of her chair. "I have caused enough commotion for you. My sincerest apologies, professor." She wouldn't even glance in her direction from how guilty she felt.

Goodness, she is not an emotional type but making her student feel ashamed for something out of concern for her is shameful on her part. 

"Edel—" Byleth stops and quickly corrects herself, "El." El snaps her head in her direction with widen eyes. "I understand why you feel so regretful for what happened but it is not your fault. Maybe the timing and place weren't correct, sure, and I might be fired for my lack of professionalism with my students. Well, that's if Hubert doesn't kill me first." El's expression darken. Maybe it is best if she doesn't joke in this moment. "But do tell me, what does staying in here do? It may prolong of what's coming but eventually, it will happen whether it is me being fired, killed, or both." She reaches out to her. An open invitation. "For now, dine with me. Leaving the Emperor of the Empire by herself does not leave a good taste in my mouth."

The white-haired woman simply stares at the hand and her face, expecting her to take back what she said, but she didn’t. 

Byleth shows one of her rare smiles, “Will you join me for dinner, El?” 

El places her hand in hers. Byleth’s smile grows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! Honestly, I was just curious about the idea of Future Emperor Edelgard meeting Byleth from the past. Like how would future!Edelgard react to Byleth who didn't experience anything yet, you know? 
> 
> But anyway, please leave some comments to let me know what you guys thought. Maybe I'll continue on with this idea but I'm not sure yet.


End file.
